Clover School District presents early gains for Impact Academy, flags internet access barriers for virtual students

Shelon Kimble, a district staff member who has led work on the Clover School District academies for nine weeks, told the board the district has set a target that students "earn 70% of the credits attempted during the 2024-25 school year." Kimble described changes in the alternative program, newly named "Impact Academy," and updates to the Clover Virtual Academy (CVA).

Kimble said the district's baseline pass rates were about 68% for the virtual program and 50% for the alternative program last year; after intercession, she reported the CVA pass rate had risen to 83% as of the date of the presentation. "We do have 10 students that are failing more than two classes," Kimble said, and those students are receiving face-to-face meetings or weekly WebEx meetings.

The presentation laid out concrete strategies: a daily behavior point system and incentives for Impact Academy students, uniform requirements tied to privileges, attendance-intervention plans for students missing classes, and academic and attendance contracts for struggling CVA students. Kimble described a new "CVA Lounge" in an unused classroom to provide in-person tutoring and a safe space for students who need help catching up.

Board members asked whether lack of reliable home internet is excluding students from CVA. Kimble confirmed the district no longer has ESER-funded hotspots and said connectivity will be handled case-by-case. An audience member identified as Matt said Comporium and state programs had in the past provided hotspots but that past subsidies had ended: "we had some hotspots; they were funded by the state," he said, adding that personal use had strained earlier distributions. Board members discussed exploring options with York Electric and other partners.

Kimble also provided grade-level detail: she reported ninth-graders in the virtual program were passing roughly 35% of credits, while other grades showed stronger results; she noted seven students were returned to main campus after conferences and that some returning students could serve as peer mentors. Kimble emphasized parent engagement through required orientations for alternative-program parents, daily behavior cards for middle-school parents, and planned follow-up visits once students transition back to main campus.

Next steps Kimble listed included continuing contracts and attendance interventions, expanding guidance referrals, refining screening practices for CVA admission, and monitoring whether CVA remains the right fit for some students. She told the board staff will continue tracking pass rates and interventions over the next nine-week periods and follow up with more precise year-over-year comparisons, which she said were not available at the meeting.

The board did not take any formal vote on program changes in the work session; staff said the items discussed will inform implementation and follow-up that could return in future meetings.